The Criminalist: A Novel of Forensic Science Suspense by John Houde

June 15, 2017Nancy

Reviewed by Jud Hanson

The Criminalist by John Houde, is an average mystery. The plot involves a forensic scientist, Paul Connert, teaming up with Vika Koslava, to try and find her half-sister. They had come to America for be models for an
adult-themed photo shoot but when one of the key people disappears, things begin to go awry. First, Vika’s half-sister comes up missing after a wild night of partying. Then, Vika crosses paths with Paul, who is involved in an investigation of a possible sex-trafficking ring. They ultimately end up working together to catch the renegade cop who is part of the ring.

As I said, John Houde’s first stab at fiction was an average one. While
the plot idea was a good one, the plot development left something to be
desired. The action was very choppy, with very rough transitions from
one part of the plot to the next. It was as if Houde would write for a
while, stop and then come back to start again at a completely different
place, leaving the reader to think they had mistakenly skipped some
pages. While Houde’s credentials in forensics are impressive, his skills
as a fiction writer need some further work. I can only give an average
book like this an average rating, 3/5 stars.

*A copy of this book was the only compensation I received for writing
this review for BestsellersWorld.com*